This invention relates to truck safety equipment and specifically to an apparatus which is useful to remove foreign objects, such as rocks, which may become lodged between dual tires on trucks.
One of the most frequently encountered hazards with large trucks is the lodging of a rock or other foreign object between dual tires on the truck or trailer. This situation generally arises when a truck operates off of paved surfaces and has an opportunity to pick up rocks or foreign objects between the dual tires found on most large vehicles. Such an object will generally remain lodged between the tires while the truck is operating at low speed and will be dislodged by centrifugal force once the truck accelerates to a higher speed, as when the truck begins operating on paved surfaces. The dislodged object may become a hazardous projectile if the object is dislodged at high speed, wherein the object may be thrown rearward, or possibly forward, from the truck into the path of trailing, or oncoming, traffic.
Known techniques and devices for removing such objects include the insertion of a lever between the dual tires, which may be used to dislodge the object. However, in the case where the tires are located under a truck body or trailer body, the amount of leverage and the angles at which the leverage must be applied may be insufficient to remove the object from between the tires.
Another technique known for dislodging such an object when the object is lodged between the tires of a dump-type truck is to raise the truck bed, secure a chain to the bed behind the tilting point, train the chain about the object, secure the chain, and lower the bed. This is an effective way of removing the object, although, if the bed is loaded, there may not be enough tilting available to remove an object in a single try, and will then require multiple attempts to remove the object. Such procedures are very unsafe.
An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which is readily available to remove a foreign object lodged between dual tires of a truck.
Another object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus which is lightweight, compact, inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use.
A further object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus which will enable removal of a foreign object in a safe and efficient manner.
The apparatus of the invention includes a web which is trainable about a foreign object lodged between dual tires, a rod for applying a pulling force to the foreign object and a reaction element which provides a stand off for the rod from the tires.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more fully apparent as the description which follows is read in connection with the drawings.